Method for making aluminum wool



Patented Sept. 23, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT" OFFICE IHETHOD FOR MAKING ALUMINUM WOOL Charles E. Galvin, Springfield, Ohio; Reece M. Carey, administrator of said Charles Galvin,

deceased N 0 Drawing.

Application June 21, 1940,

Serial No. 341,782

7 Claims. (01. 148-115) My invention relates to the practice of inak- Y ing aluminum wool as a product similar in structure to steel wool except that it is made of aluminum.

It has long been known as desirable to make aluminum wool, for the reason that aluminum is not as abrasive as steel wool, and does not rust. The difiiculty has been two-fold, however, so that no aluminum wool of commercial value has been produced. In the first place the making of steel wool has been to cut long'shavings In filtering screens it will notcorrode under moisture conditions.

It will be apparent that if someone should discover a practice feasible for making wool from aluminum wire thatvmy practice of heat treatment before fabricating would be useful. However, I have been unable to make wool in this or filaments from a-moving strand of steel wire.

This will not work with aluminum wire, because the. shavings break due to brittleness thereof, the softness of the wire is such that the shaving or cutting knives dig into the wire and gouge or break it.

Also such is the work hardening effect of shaving aluminum into fine shreds that the wool.

will break up into fragments with any handling thereof such as required to fabricate it into pads or the like. 7

It is known that wool can be cut from tubes of steel by the use of suitable cutters operating against the end of the tube. By using aluminum tubes and cutting the wool from the ends of the tubes which are slowly moved with reference to the cutters, I have been able to solve the problem of making the wool of aluminum initially.

- is not important provided all of the wool reaches the desired temperature. In my experience a temperature of 700 F. for a minute in a muflie furnace will produce the result.

My heat treatment will make the aluminum wool dead soft, such that it becomes less fragile than steel wool. It can be formed into pads, packed between frames to form filters, and generally fabricated as desired.

.When used as an abrasive it will not scratch lass or polished chrome, or nickel surfaces. It will not leave particles in a sink after use with dishes or pans. which spots will rust and form :ks which are unsightly. It will not form silvers which get into the fingers.

fashion and believe that the only practical way is to cut the wool from heavy cross sections as distinguished from attempting to gouge it out of a moving strand, lengthwise thereof.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. The method of making wool from aluminum which consists of forming thin elongated cuttings from'a starting body of the material, and then without working the resulting wool,'rais- .ing its temperature above 500 F. -sut'iiciently to remove the work hardening efiect resulting from thecutting operation. V 2. The method of making wool from aluminum which consists of forming thin elongated cuttings from a starting body of the material, and then without working the resulting wool, raising its temperature above 500 F. sufiiciently to removethe work hardening effect resulting from the cutting operation, the cuttings being made from a cross section of the starting body as distinguished from cuttings lengthwise of such body.

3. The method of making wool from aluminum which consists of forming thin elongated cuttings from a starting body of the material, and then without working the resulting wool, raising its temperature above 500 F. sufficiently to remove the work hardening effect resulting from the cutting operation, the said temperature being below about 1000 F.

4. The method of making wool from aluminum which consists of forming thin elongated cuttings from a starting body of the. material, and then without working the resulting wool, raising its temperature above 500 F. sufficiently to remove the work hardening efiect resulting from v the cutting operation, the said heating being carried out subject to the atmosphere as distinguished from. vacuum or reducing conditions.

5. The method of making wool from aluminum which consists of forming thin elongated cuttings from a starting body of the material, and then without working the resulting wool, raising its temperature above 500 F. sufiiciently to remove the work hardening efiect resulting from the cutting operation, the cuttings being made from a cross section of the starting body as distinguished from cuttings lengthwise of such body and the upper limit of temperature to which the wool i raised being 1000 F.

6. The method of making wool from aluminum which consists of forming thin elongated cuttings from a starting body of the material, and

- then without working the resulting wool, raising its temperature above 500 F. sufllciently toremove, the work hardening effect resulting from the cutting operation, the cuttings being made from a cross section of the starting body as distinguished from cuttings lengthwise of such body, the said heating being carried out subject to the atmosphere as distinguished from vacuum or reducing conditions and "the upper limit 01 temperature to which the wool is raised being 1000 F.

7. The method of making wool from aluminum which consists of forming thin elongated cuttings from a starting body of the material, and

then without working the resulting wool, raising its temperature above 500 F; suiflciently'to remove the work hardening effect resulting from the cutting operation, the cuttings being made from a cross section of the starting body as distinguished from cuttings lengthwise of such body, the heating being to between 600 and CHARLES E. GALVIN. 

